Jan de Lagoor, 'A Woody Landscape with a Stag Hunt', probably 1645-50
About the work
Overview
This painting has been darkened by varnish, making the woods in the foreground so murky and the distant landscape so misty that the reflection created by trees in the water seems startlingly bright. The light catching the terrified stag and hind running from the hounds seems silvery – almost like moonlight, in spite of the blue sky. The two huntsmen following on horseback blow their horns in an identical position, making them seem stiff and puppet-like. Their groom follows them, hardly visible in the shadows of the forest.
Jan de Lagoor was a close follower of Jacob van Ruisdael, but the dark varnish and wear on the picture hide any indication of the drama and atmosphere of van Ruisdael’s paintings.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Woody Landscape with a Stag Hunt
- Artist
- Jan de Lagoor
- Artist dates
- active 1645 - 1659
- Date made
- probably 1645-50
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 112 × 148.5 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
- Inventory number
- NG1008
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1854G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being and Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss. […], vol. 2, trans. E. Eastlake, London 1854
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1877London, National Gallery Archive: National Gallery Catalogue, 1877 - 1915
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1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
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1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
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1991'Keuze uit de aanwinsten', Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, XXXIX/1, 1991, pp. 132-45
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.